Key points
- Current status: The DV-2027 Diversity Visa lottery has not yet opened for registration as of October 19, 2026. A federal court order requires the US State Department to announce the registration period by October 29 and open electronic entries by November 1, 2026.
- What happened: The US State Department did not open DV-2027 registration on its usual schedule, the first time in about three decades of the lottery. A federal judge ordered the program reinstated through a preliminary injunction on October 14, 2026, following a lawsuit by the California immigration law firm Red Eagle Law.
- How to enter: Registration is free and conducted exclusively at dvprogram.state.gov. Each person may submit only one entry. The registration window will last 30 days. Selectees will be notified by December 3, 2026.
- Key caveat: DV-2027 selectees will have a compressed timeline to complete the immigrant visa process. All 55,000 diversity visas must be issued before the fiscal year ends on September 30, 2027. Selection does not guarantee a green card.
The US State Department must open DV-2027 registration by November 1, 2026, after a federal judge ruled the administration’s failure to launch the program was likely unlawful
The DV-2027 Diversity Visa lottery, commonly known as the green card lottery, is set to open for registration by November 1, 2026, following a preliminary injunction issued on October 14. US District Judge Jinsook Ohta of the Southern District of California ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to announce and open the program after the US State Department failed to launch the DV-2027 registration period on its usual schedule.
Under normal circumstances, DV-2027 registration would have opened in October or November 2025. Instead, the US State Department announced on November 5, 2025, that it was “implementing certain changes to the Diversity Visa entry process” and would publish new dates “as soon as practicable.” Registration was never opened. The DV-2027 visa year began on October 1, 2026, without a single applicant, making this the first time in about three decades of the lottery that a visa year began with no registration period or selectees.
As of October 19, 2026, the registration portal at dvprogram.state.gov displays the message “Entries are not being accepted at this time.” The US State Department has until October 29 to announce registration details and until November 1 to open the system.
What is the Diversity Visa lottery?
The Diversity Visa Program distributes up to 55,000 immigrant visas (green cards) each year to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Congress created the program through the Immigration Act of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush.
Each year, the US State Department opens an electronic registration period, typically lasting about 30 days. Winners are selected at random from all qualified entries. The US State Department typically selects approximately 125,000 to 150,000 entrants to account for those who do not complete the visa process, with the goal of filling all 55,000 available slots.
The program is separate from employment-based, family-based, or refugee visa categories. Winning the lottery does not grant immediate permanent residency. Selectees must complete a full immigrant visa application, attend a consular interview, and satisfy all admissibility requirements before a green card is issued.
When does DV-2027 registration open and what are the key dates?
The US State Department has not yet published the DV-2027 registration instructions or confirmed the exact opening date. Under the court-ordered amended schedule, the following deadlines apply:
| Deadline | What must happen |
|---|---|
| October 29, 2026 | US State Department must publicly announce the DV-2027 registration period, including opening and closing dates, the entry website, and participation requirements. |
| November 1, 2026 | Electronic registration must open at dvprogram.state.gov. |
| 30 days after opening | Registration closes. If registration opens November 1, it would close around December 1, 2026. |
| December 3, 2026 | US State Department must notify selected applicants. |
| September 30, 2027 | All DV-2027 visas must be issued before the fiscal year ends. Unused visas cannot be carried over. |
These dates represent maximum deadlines. The US State Department may act earlier. Applicants should monitor dvprogram.state.gov daily once the October 29 announcement deadline approaches.
Who is eligible to enter the DV-2027 lottery?
Eligibility for the Diversity Visa lottery has two components: country of birth and education or work experience.
Country of birth: Applicants must have been born in a country eligible for the program. The US State Department publishes a list of ineligible countries for each lottery cycle, typically excluding countries that have sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the preceding five years. For DV-2026, the most recent published list, the ineligible countries were Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (including mainland and Hong Kong born), Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Venezuela, and Vietnam. The list can change each year. The official DV-2027 instructions, once published, will confirm the eligible countries.
Education or work experience: Applicants must hold at least a high school diploma or equivalent (a successfully completed 12-year course of formal education), or have two years of qualifying work experience within the past five years in an occupation that requires at least two years of training or experience, as defined by the US Department of Labor’s O*NET database.
Applicants born in an ineligible country may still qualify if their spouse was born in an eligible country, or if neither of their parents was born in or a resident of the ineligible country at the time of the applicant’s birth.
How do applicants enter the DV-2027 lottery?
Registration is conducted exclusively through the US State Department’s official website at dvprogram.state.gov. Entry is free.
Each person may submit only one entry per registration period. Submitting more than one entry disqualifies all of that person’s entries for the entire cycle. Married couples may each submit a separate entry, and if either is selected, the other is included as a derivative beneficiary.
The entry form requires a recent digital photograph meeting specific US State Department requirements (600 x 600 pixels, taken within the last six months, white background). The US State Department has also indicated that most DV-2027 applicants will need to upload a scan of a valid, unexpired passport, a requirement reinstated by a 2026 State Department rule after a similar rule was struck down in 2022.
After submitting, applicants receive a confirmation number. This number is the only way to check results through the Entrant Status Check portal at dvprogram.state.gov. The US State Department does not notify selectees by email, letter, or phone. Any communication claiming otherwise is a scam.
What happens after registration closes?
The US State Department will conduct a computerized random drawing from all valid entries submitted during the 30-day registration window. Under the court order, selectees must be notified by December 3, 2026, through the Entrant Status Check portal at dvprogram.state.gov.
Being selected does not mean the applicant has received a green card. Selectees must then complete a DS-260 immigrant visa application, gather extensive supporting documentation (including civil documents, police certificates, and medical examination results), and attend a consular interview at a US embassy or consulate in their country of residence.
The DV-2027 timeline is significantly compressed compared to previous years. Under the normal schedule, selectees would have been notified around May 2026 and had the full fiscal year (October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027) to complete the visa process. Under the court-ordered schedule, selectees will be notified in December 2026, leaving approximately nine months to complete all steps before the September 30, 2027 deadline.
All 55,000 DV-2027 visas must be issued before September 30, 2027. Unused visas cannot be rolled over to the following fiscal year. Selectees who do not complete the process before that date lose their eligibility permanently.
Does winning the DV lottery guarantee a green card?
Selection in the Diversity Visa lottery does not guarantee the issuance of a green card. Selectees must still satisfy all eligibility and admissibility requirements under US immigration law, pass a medical examination, clear security and background checks, and demonstrate that they will not become a public charge.
The compressed DV-2027 timeline adds practical risk. Consular appointment availability, document processing delays, and administrative processing under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act could all affect whether a selectee completes the process before September 30, 2027.
The US State Department selects substantially more entrants than there are available visas precisely because many selectees do not complete the process. Being selected places an applicant in a numbered queue, and visa numbers are distributed in rank order until the 55,000 cap is reached or the fiscal year ends.
How can applicants avoid DV lottery scams?
The only legitimate website for entering the Diversity Visa lottery is dvprogram.state.gov. The US State Department has consistently warned against third-party websites that charge fees for entry, claim to offer early registration, or guarantee results.
The US State Department does not send emails, letters, or phone calls to notify selectees. Results are available only through the Entrant Status Check portal at dvprogram.state.gov, using the confirmation number received at the time of entry. Any message claiming that an applicant has been selected outside of this portal is fraudulent.
With DV-2027 registration not yet open as of October 19, 2026, applicants should be particularly cautious of websites or services claiming that entries are already being accepted. Registration will open only when the US State Department activates the portal at dvprogram.state.gov following its official announcement.
